1st Edition

Technology, Politics, And Society In China

By Rudi Volti Copyright 1982
    255 Pages
    by Routledge

    255 Pages
    by Routledge

    This study is the first to summarize the major technological policies implemented in China since 1949 and to place them in their social and historical context. Dr. Volti looks at technological change in China as part of a broader process of economic, political, cultural, and organizational change, focusing primarily on four key areas—agriculture, energy, ground transportation, and medicine and public health. He emphasizes how technological change has been shaped by political and ideological structures, notes how China’s unique cultural heritage has affected adoption of technologies developed outside China, and assesses China’s success in developing technologies appropriate to its specific needs as an economically and politically developing nation. He draws on interviews with technicians engaged in the transfer of technology to China as well as extensive primary source materials.

    Also of Interest -- Introduction -- Technological Development in Context -- Technology and Society in Traditional China -- The Evolution of Technological Policy in the People’s Republic -- Ideological Orientations and Policy Issues -- Organizational Patterns and Technological Change -- The Process of Technological Development: Four Sectoral Studies -- Agricultural Technologies -- Energy Technologies -- Surface Transportation Technologies -- Medical Technologies -- Conclusion

    Biography

    Rudi Volti is associate professor of sociology at Pitzer College and a member of the Asian studies faculty at Claremont Graduate School, where he teaches courses on modern Chinese history, technology and society, complex organizations, and economic sociology.